Alchemizing the Shadow
8 weeks exploring the death process of the systems within us that perpetuate harm within ourselves, in our relationships, and in the world. All with the guidance of the Ancient Egyptian journey into the underworld, the Duat.
September 13, 2026 to November 1, 2026
Descending Into The Duat
The duat is the journey through the underworld in ancient egyptian mythology. it is the soul’s journey through rebirth. it is the world of the shadows and where the spark of creation is found. it is the journey of alchemy.
We begin with ceremony to descend into the underworld, connecting with the land, the elements and the ancestors as they support us on this journey. We create space to explore your relationship with your heart and whatever arises as this journey can be one of challenge and the heart is the guide to alchemy.
Together we will explore our own individual shadows and the ways that they perpetuate collective belief systems rooted in fear. How are we complicit in these systems rooted in fear? It is only through seeing the ways that we are complicit that we give ourselves choice to do something different, something more in alignment with and in service to humanity.
NOTE - talk about the true expression of the soul here
We meet this shadow as alchemists and through our bodies so we can learn our unique tools to be able to alchemize the shadow and embody a truer expression of our souls.
What is alchemizing the shadow:
In this program you will learn about the shadow, what it is, how it’s formed, and where it reveals itself in your life. You’ll also meet your true expression and begin to relate with these aspects of yourself.
When we make space and create the right conditions to meet the shadow, we can break it down to feel and see the ways in which it expresses itself and why. By being in the expression of the shadow and attuning the the emotion held in our hearts in relationship to it, we become alchemists. Breaking it down so we can begin to see and feel the gold within this shadow. The wisdom and medicine it has for us.
With the support of the true expression of ourselves, we begin to bring this gold, this medicine, forward. Developing new neural pathways, and beginning the embody the wisdom held within.
This journey prepares us for the journey into the underworld, giving us all the tools an alchemist needs: proper preparation of the body, connection to the ancestors, wisdom of the elements, and a strengthened relationship with the original alchemist, the fire if our hearts.
Why is shadow alchemy important?
Shadow alchemy is important because…
By alchemizing the shadow you come into relationship with it. Most of us are in space where we don’t know our shadows are present, or how much space they take up in our lives, or we try to push them down or away. This just makes the shadow take a greater hold on your life, where you find yourself continuously acting from a place rooted in your wounding.
When we alchemize the shadow, we see beyond its role in our lives and get to explore the ways it is reinformed over and over again by ancestral, cultural, and societal patterns and systems. Helping us to see that this isn’t just ours.
It is time to begin acting from a place that is aligned with your truest soul expression, not the wounding.
We are living in a time where our collective shadows are being broadcast on our screens, and guess what? Each of us has a role in perpetuating these shadows. So it is our responsibility to take accountability for the ways in which we perpetuate these systems of harm and begin to change them by simply starting the change the patterns within ourselves, and then in relationships, and in our communities.
Our collective shadows are being revealed for a reason: to be alchemized so new creation can take form. We must step into what is being asked from us, and become students and practitioners of the alchemy needed.
what is the structure and format?
We will meet bi-weekly over 4 months. The first two sessions will be focused on tending and preparing for this journey. We cannot dive into the deep end without properly acknowledging the significance of this journey. That means tending. Tending to the body and the heart.
From here you will be guided to meet one of your shadows and an aspect of your true soul expression. Each session afterwards, we will work with the shadow and the true expression through the lenses of the elemental, the ancestral, and the cultural/collective.
Not only will you leave with tools to begin working with, relating with, and alchemizing the shadow, but you will also feel a more embodied expression of your soul, and feel inspired around the kind of alchemy needed for the collective.
Beginning September 13, 2026 to December 20, 2026
Opening ceremony and the heart
Meet the shadow and true expression with the practices
Need to spend more time in embodiment and expression of the true self
Elemental Aspect and Alchemy
Ancestral Aspect
Cultural/Collective Aspect
Bonus Session
Closing Ceremony
a one on one timeline exploration session with Mona before we begin
Option to meet between sessions to share how the practices are going
who is this journey for?
This journey is for anyone who is tired of repeating the same patterns, or feeling stuck in their wounding.
It is for people who already have spiritual and mindfulness practices in place and are looking to deepen and expand their practice.
It is for those who see the collective shadows revealing themselves and feel themselves being called into the alchemy.
This is for those who are committed to the journey of embodying the wisdom of their souls, over and over again.
Meet your guide for the Journey
Mona Abutaleb
Somatic Therapist
Mona is a weaver of webs in her work with clients one on one as well as in group facilitation. She always sees the potential of connection and collaboration in what she observes, and lets that perspective move her in her work and the ways she moves through the world. She trusts and believes that healing always happens in community, no matter how hyper-individuated society gets. What moves her is curiosity and a belief that ancient wisdom is held within our bodies and that by using practices guided by the wisdom of our bodies, we can actively heal and bring the collective back to a place of harmony. She does this through earth and body-based practices, an exploration of archetypal work, and elemental shadow work.
Mona owes her practice and “work” to her ancestors before her, her immigrant family, and the teachers she’s had the privilege to learn from in this life. As a Somatic Therapist, her practice focuses on touch and the power of co-regulation and safety that can happen from being in contact with another. Again, healing happens in community.
Mona is currently living on her ancestral lands in Cairo, Egypt. You can learn more about her in the about page.
